having read the advice given here and had a look at various reviews my question(s) is:

10 quid in it between SLX M665 and XT M775 (assuming XT M665 is the ‘old’ version, without servo wave, correct?). xt worth it? i read that the SLX doesn’t come pre bled, this also the case for the XT?

or then there is the XT dual control M775 (newer?) at 114 quid or XT dual control M765 at 80 quid.

anybody use dual control and willing to sing their praises or shout them down?

cheers

J

edit….bugger. scrolled further on CRC and found XTR M966 at 80quid. shitty colour, but 80 quid?

not too fussed for dual control for the left (front mech) as don’t use it much…..

AFAIK the only difference between XT and SLX is the SLX calipers are two-piece, as opposed to the one-piece XT. SLX is also a few grammes heavier. other than that they’re the same.
The SLX stuff is available pre-bled. The hoses are quite long so chances are you’ll be trimming them down anyway. Not that either matter, as shortening the hoses and/or bleeding them is the EASIEST job in the world. 7mm spanner + length of windscreen washer hose + plastic bag + 50ml mineral oil is all you need.

oakey dokey…..thanks.

any one use dual control? yay or nay?

I don’t think many people do. The brake levers are able to move up/down (so it can shift) as well as forward/back for braking. I don’t like it. Though I’m not used to it (only on mates bikes) I found it difficult not to tap the brake when shifting, and the floppy brake lever just didn’t feel right when trying to feather/drag the brake(s) in techy stuff

I pretty much liked my XT DC the older ones. Did work really well, never got any accidental shifting while braking. Had some flat bars on my bike and they do take a lot of space and it was pretty hard to run a HR and a bike computer at once and didn’t have any more space for a front light. Changed to a riser bar and it helped a bit, but still not ideal.

The newer ones have a different lever and they don’t take that much space.

I’ve managed to pick up my xt for about £73 not to bad for a shifter/brake combo. If You can live with DC and You’re on a budget I think they might be a good option.

I got both and think SLX are better as they dont get that annoying clicky sticky point in the lever travel which my XT do. No noticable difference in terms of power/modulation but SLX get resin pads, my XT came with sintered so you may have to factor new pads into the cost- extra £40 retail.